Next story in Weather

Video: Northeast still battling Irene aftermath

Closed captioning of: Northeast still battling Irene aftermath

>>>we really have seen an unbelievable turn of events following the storm here in the east named irene. long gone but it's continuing to unleash incredible damage and chaos. first, some numbers.
43 people
are now dead. 3 million americans still without power going into tonight. 13 separate communities in the
state of vermont
alone are still cut off. there were 700 boat rescues today in just the
state of new jersey
. it goes on and on and connecticut, 1,000 roads, at least, still blocked.
north carolina
, this storm changed the map of the
outer banks
as they had feared. crippled infrastructure in new england. these power outages, 500,000 in connecticut. 300,000 in new jersey, have, as you might imagine, dramatically cut into the
quality of life
and people's ability to make a living. we begin with
michelle franzen
. she is in manville, new jersey, michelle, good evening.

>> reporter: you mentioned the water rescues. it's not hard to believe when you're dealing with this storm. people are still not trying to escape the floodwaters. they are overwhelmed with the cleanup. rising rivers unleashed more pain today in the northeast. and help rushed in just as quickly to those areas hardest hit by irene. in patterson, new jersey, one family after another were rescued by boat as their homes and neighborhood fell victim to floodwaters. tonight, mandatory evacuations were ordered for 1,000 families in wallington with floodwaters on the move.

>>the floodgates, we got to do something about this.

>>and the governor surveyed the latest assault on his state.

>>these floodwaters happen quickly and you can't survive.

>> reporter: rivers in
upstate new york
overwhelmed from the massive runoff from the 'hurricane's rainfall quickly overtopped their banks.

>>the challenge for us is to assess the damage and get back to work.

>> reporter: in the catskills, towns like prattsville were among the hardest hit. today, looking where her daughter's trailer once stood.

>>she lost everything. she has a 2-year-old baby and she's having a baby any time now.

>> reporter: meanwhile, in land-locked vermont, people in more than a dozen towns are reportedly cut off after raging floodwaters badly damaged or even washed away roads and more than 200 bridges. after getting married over the weekend at her childhood
summer camp
.

>>the wedding was beautiful. the rain had not set in. it was gorgeous.

>> reporter: the
wedding party
and more than 100 guests might be trapped for days until they can replace the washed-out bridge. in ludlow, bulldozers cleared debris. neighbors got to work, too.

>>is there anything i can do, really?

>>we're probably going to run out of groceries.

>> reporter: in manville, new jersey, resources and emotions stretched to the limit.

>>it's tough, but life goes on, you know? my dad built this house. and now i lost it.

>> reporter: brian, there are decisions being made all up and down the
east coast
, whether it's worth rebuilding or whether people should cut their losses and go.

>>unbelievable scene. you work for something all your life and comes along quarterback barely a category 1 storm at the tail end of its life. and it just keeps on going.
michelle franzen
from new

WAYNE, N.J. — Hundreds of people evacuated in northern New Jersey on Tuesday as flooding continued nearly three days after Hurricane Irene tore through, and one town was told it would be swamped for up to a week.

In Vermont, several towns cut off by destroyed roads got supplies airlifted in, while in N.Y.'s Catskill Mountains national guardsman arrived to help clean up. Asked one guard: "Where do you start?"

Irene power outages

State

Customers without power

Connecticut

508,963

Delaware

3,452

Washington, D.C.

3,695

Maine

93,995

Maryland

268,038

Massachusetts

216,889

New Hampshire

31,438

New Jersey

343,835

New York

525,386

North Carolina

147,347

Pennsylvania

153,883

Rhode Island

133,313

Vermont

18,088

Virginia

402,535

At 1 p.m. ET Tuesday

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Energy

Across the East Coast, power outages, while down by half, impacted millions on Tuesday.

Irene has been blamed for at least
44 deaths in 13 states,
the latest being a Maine couple who died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

As for damage estimates, North Carolina on Tuesday became the first state to come up with a preliminary figure: 1,100 homes destroyed and at least $70 million in costs to state infrastructure, including the severed highway linking Hatteras Island to the mainland.

'Raging' N.J. river
In New Jersey, the Passaic, Ramapo and Pompton rivers were still overflowing.

In Wallington, 1,000 families were ordered to evacuate Tuesday evening as the Passaic was not expected to crest until late Tuesday night, NBC New York reported.

"Many people were caught off guard," said James Furtak, acting emergency management coordinator of the borough of 11,000 residents. "Their basements were flooded up to the ceiling and the first floor."

People were climbing out windows to get out of their flooded homes, he said.

In Patterson, search and rescue teams pulled nearly 600 people from homes in recent days with the most intense efforts Tuesday when the Passaic measured 13 feet above flood stage, the highest level since 1903, said Paterson Police Sgt. Alex Popov.

Fairfield is surrounded on three sides by the curving Passaic, and National Guard troops were using boats to rescue stranded residents stranded by the floods, he said.

"I believe it's going to continue well into Wednesday," Manna said. Officials said the town will likely be swamped for a week.

The force of floods from the Pequannock and Ramapo rivers in Pompton Lakes pushed buildings off their foundations, and two dozen homes in the flooded area have already been condemned, said Vito Gadaleta, administrator for the borough of 12,000 residents.

He said the Ramapo was receding, but the Pequannock was still causing problems, with some neighborhoods under several feet of water.

"Some areas we cannot get into still," he said.

In Wayne, where major roads were blocked due to flooding from the Passaic, Mike Holland paddled a canoe from his home on Trovela Drive, where parked cars were almost completely underwater.

Record rainfall forced creeks to swell, and walls of water poured down from the mountains to upend huge slabs of asphalt, wash homes off their foundations and leave residents unaccustomed to natural disasters stunned by the damage.

In Windham, a town of about 1,700 known for its ski resort, the main street is lined with deep muddy ditches where sidewalks used to be.

Another man was killed as he helped a neighbor move his car out of the flood's path.

Starting on Monday, National Guard troops and local authorities kicked off what is likely to be a long, expensive recovery process. Most of the area lacks electricity and telephone lines, and an unknown number of people remain isolated in mountaintop vacation homes.

"Where do you start?" asked one guardsman, surveying damage at a gas station in the heart of Windham.

Nearby Prattsville was nearly wiped off the map when the roads into town and the bridges that take travelers into the mountains were destroyed. Nearly 100 people had to be rescued from a motel and surrounding campgrounds.

Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden said from a command center in the town of Cairo that the estimated cost of the damage has yet to be calculated.

As for Route 23 and other decimated roads, Groden said, it will be difficult to begin repairs before asphalt suppliers shut down for the winter.

"We could be driving on stone roads for a long time," he said.

400 stranded at Vt. resort
In Vermont, some 400 people were stranded at the Killington ski resort due to road damage, and part of a lodge had collapsed in the earlier rain and flooding, NBC affiliate WPTZ-TV reported Tuesday.

"Stranded, nowhere to go," said Martin Saylor, 57, standing by the Rock River on Monday, waiting for his brother to bring in supplies. "Don't want to leave my house because I don't know who's going to break in or whatever. I just don't know what to do."

The capricious storm, which veered into Vermont in its final hours, dumped up to 11 inches of rain in some places and turned placid little mountain streams into roaring brown torrents that smashed buildings, ripped homes from their foundation and washed out roads all across the state.

Homeowners and towns in land-locked Vermont faced a sobering new reality — no way in or out. Washed-out roads and bridges left them — for now — inaccessible by automobile.

"We always had that truism that said 'Yup, yah can't get there from here.' In fact, that's come to pass down here," said Newfane Town Clerk Gloria Cristelli. "There are certain pockets where you can't get there from here, at least not by a car."

State transportation maintenance crews and contractors hired by the state were working to restore travel on some of the 260 roads that had been closed due to storm damage. Vermont also had 30 highway bridges closed.

In Newfane (pop. 1,710), the storm's effects were staggering: About 150 people were unable to drive cars to their homes, 30 of them effectively stranded in theirs, seven bridges were washed out, two homes were knocked from their foundations by surging floodwaters and one 19th century grist mill smashed into kindling wood right where it stood.

For the Saylors, there were more immediate concerns. "I need a shower," said Sue Saylor. "I need water. I need electricity. It's rough."

More than 2.8 million customers still without powerPower outages were still widespread from north to south on Tuesday, with utilities reporting more than 2.8 million homes and businesses without electricity. That translates into nearly 6 million people since the power industry typically multiplies customers by 2 to estimate the total number of individuals in homes and businesses.

In Connecticut, around 509,000, or 32 percent of all customers in the state, were still in the dark Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. Department of Energy reported. Gov. Dannel Malloy made a plea on MSNBC-TV for utilities from states not hit by Irene to send crews to his state for repairs.

Crews have been restoring power at a fast rate, but tens of thousands of homeowners and businesses might not get theirs back for a week or more.

Entire communities are still waiting for power. Eastham, Mass., on Cape Cod is still mostly cut off. In Wakefield, N.H., 70 percent of the town's customers are off the grid. And nearly half of the 491,000 homes and businesses in the Richmond, Va., metro area are blacked out.

Power companies say their first priority is to reconnect hospitals, police stations, emergency call centers and other critical services. After that they'll try to get schools back online in time for the fall semester. Individual neighborhoods and homes will be next on the list.

During the course of Irene, 7.4 million customers lost power — nearly double the outages from the last hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. in 2008.

John Bone, president of the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce in Kill Devil Hills, said tourists were already returning after the upper Outer Banks escaped major damage.

"We were very fortunate in many respects," he said. "It could have been a lot worse."

Airlines said it would be days before the thousands of passengers stranded by Irene find their way home. Some Amtrak service in the Northeast was limited or suspended. Commuter train service between New Jersey and New York City resumed Tuesday, except for one line that was still dealing with flooding.

Early estimates put Irene's damage at $7 billion to $10 billion, much smaller than the impact of monster storms such as Hurricane Katrina, which did more than $100 billion in damage. Irene's effects are small compared to the overall U.S. economy, which produces about $14 trillion worth of goods and services every year.

A house destroyed by Irene sits in a river in Rochester, Vt., on Wednesday, Aug. 31. Homeowner Jon Graham, right, removes items from the home with the help of friends.
(Vyto Starinskas / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Henry Rhines tries to salvage anything he can from the debris field that was once his home in Columbia, N.C., on Aug. 30. Several houses along U.S. 64 south of Columbia were destroyed when a tornado touched down before Hurricane Irene's wind and rain. Rhines wasn't home at the time, evacuating to Rocky Mount earlier in the day. "That tornado put a hurting on us right on down the line," he said.
(Shawn Rocco / The News & Observer via AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Keith Beavers examines his tobacco crop following Hurricane Irene in Mount Olive, N.C., on Aug. 30. Far from the beach towns that took Hurricane Irene's first hit, the storm inflicted some of its worst damage on inland farms from North Carolina to New York as crops were pummeled by wind, scalded by salt spray and submerged by floodwaters. Some farmers, like Beavers, are reporting total losses.
(Jim R. Bounds / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Standing on a neighbor's porch in Stumpy Point, N.C., Darnel and Debbie Talbert lean on each other as Nationwide insurance agent Paul Tine checks on their policy on Aug. 30. The Talbert's house was heavily damaged by Hurricane Irene.
(Shawn Rocco / The News & Observer via AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Greg Austin of Avon, N.C., on Aug. 29 tries to save a large fish that was washed out of a local pond during the storm surge from Hurricane Irene. Avon is one of the Hatteras Island communities cut off due to breaches in N.C. Highway 12.
(Chuck Liddy / The News & Observer via AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Flooding over a road from the Farmington River is seen in the aftermath of Irene in Simsbury, Conn., on Aug. 29.
(Jessica Hill / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Firefighters from the Skyline Lakes Fire Department try to extinguish a fire fed by a natural gas line, which ruptured causing the house to explode, after the Pompton River overflowed its banks during a record flood, in Pompton Lake, N.J., on Aug. 29.
(Chip East / Reuters)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Gino Borova gives a ride to his neighbor, Tom Soboleski, as they make their way through floodwaters after surveying their homes in Pompton Lakes, N.J., on Aug. 29. The Ramapo River flooded the area.
(Julio Cortez / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

The top layer of blacktop on River Road lies peeled off due to AuSable River flooding in Lake Placid, N.Y., on Aug. 29.
(Mike Lynch / Adirondack Daily Enterprise via AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Stranded travelers rest at LaGuardia Airport in New York on Aug. 29. The couple lying down is scheduled to take a flight to Dallas on Aug. 30. New York-area airports reopened on Aug. 29 as airlines gradually restored service after canceling more than 11,000 flights.
(Don Emmert / AFP - Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Residents walk along Highway 12, the main road that connects Cape Hatteras National Seashore to the main land which was destroyed by Hurricane Irene in Rodanthe, N.C., on Aug. 28.
(Jose Luis Magana / Reuters)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

An unidentified male hangs on to a branch in a rain swollen creek as he waits for rescuers in New City, N.Y., on Aug. 28. He and three others went tubing in the creek and had to be rescued by New City and Stony Point fire departments' water rescue teams.
(Peter Carr / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Firefighters put out a fire at a rental house on Aug. 28 after it was destroyed by Irene at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in Rodanthe, N.C.
(Jose Luis Magana / Reuters)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

A motorboat passes a submerged pickup truck on Main Street in Washingtonville, N.Y., on Aug. 28, following heavy rains from Irene.
(Paul Kazdan / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

A Fairfield Beach Road home is submerged in Pine Creek in Fairfield, Conn., as treacherous weather caused by Irene came through the area on Aug. 28.
(Cathy Zuraw / The Connecticut Post via AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Billy Stinson, left, comforts his daughter, Erin Stinson, as they sit on the steps where their cottage once stood before it was destroyed by Hurricane Irene in Nags Head, N.C., on Aug. 28. The cottage, built in 1903, was one of the first vacation cottages built on Albemarle Sound in Nags Head. Stinson has owned the home, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, since 1963. "We were pretending, just for a moment, that the cottage was still behind us and we were just sitting there watching the sunset," said Erin afterward.
(Scott Olson / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Bravo Company 1st of 120 out of Whiteville ride through rural Goose Creek Island handing out bags of ice on Aug. 28, in Lowland, N.C. Hurricane Irene made landfall in North Carolina, creating a storm surge of up to 8 feet in some areas of the Pamilco Sound.
(Sara D. Davis / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

With the skyline of New York in the background, people fly a kite at the Erie-Lackawanna Park along Hudson River after the pass of Irene in Hoboken, N.J., on Aug 28.
(Eduardo Munoz / Reuters)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

A car sits submerged on Main Street in Hightstown, N.J., on Aug. 28, after Peddie Lake overflowed from Irene. Businesses and shops along the street were flooded.
(Jim Gerberich / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Crews from the New York Department of Environmental Protection work to unplug storm sewer grates on the Van Wyck Expressway under the Grand Central Parkway overpass in the Queens neighborhood of New York on Aug. 28. Widespread flooding of interstates and low-lying areas kept crews busy overnight and throughout the day.
(Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Ken Smith clears the street in front of his family's house after Irene hit the Rockaway beach section of Queens, N.Y., on Aug. 28.
(Jessica Rinaldi / Reuters)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Mark Wade trips while surfing with his friend Craig Busick, left, in a large puddle in front of the Board of Education in Centreville, Md., on Aug. 28, after Irene.
(Jim Watson / AFP - Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Danica Quinn, 9, and her dog Scruffy, stand in her front yard on C Street in Bridgeton, N.C., on Aug. 28. Quinn and her family were in their home during Hurricane Irene when winds toppled a pine tree that crashed through the roof of their living room. No one was hurt, though the house was destroyed.
(Byron Holland / New Bern Sun Journal via AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Lechelle Spalding pulls a boat up to her flooded home after a storm surge on the Outer Banks in Kitty Hawk, N.C., on Aug. 28.
(Charles Dharapak / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Annie Gullett, right, gets help from her daughter Katy Caroline, center, and friend Louise Sanderlin sorting through damaged items in her gift shop after it was flooded in the wake of Hurricane Irene on Aug. 28 in Manteo, N.C.
(Scott Olson / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

High winds from Irene knocked down five large trees in front of the East River Cooperative Village apartment buildings along Grand Avenue on Aug. 28 in New York City.
(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Waves and storm surge pound the boardwalk and the beach at first light as Irene slams into Asbury Park, N.J., on Aug. 28.
(Chip East / Reuters)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Brian Grant, left, and Bob Bianchini, engineers from the public works department out for a safety inspection, are slammed by waves and storm surge pounding the boardwalk and the beach at Asbury Park, N.J., on Aug. 28.
(Chip East / Reuters)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Waves kicked up by Irene crash into homes on Wilbur's Point in Fairhaven, Mass., on Aug. 28.
(Peter Pereira / The Standard Times via AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Josh Holloway, son of homeowner Jack Holloway, stands near the front door as family members look over the damage to their home in Lewis, Del., on Aug. 28.
(Suchat Pederson / The News Journal via AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Hurricane Irene's wind and rain pour down as North Cove Marina employees work to secure gangways, docks and boats as seawater comes over the marina's low walls just before high tide in the World Financial Center Plaza on Aug. 28 in New York City.
(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Pat Valent helps friends clear out belongings from their storm-damaged beach home in the Sandbridge area of Virginia Beach, Va. on Aug. 28. Irene caused damage over such a broad area that the total damage is not yet known.
(Steve Helber / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

A woman walks by downed trees in Brooklyn during heavy rain and winds from Hurricane Irene on Aug. 28 in New York City. While Hurricane Irene has now been downgraded to a tropical storm, it has knocked out power to more than 3 million people.
(Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

A lighthouse-shaped building is battered by storm surge and winds from Hurricane Irene in Montauk, New York on Aug. 28.
(Lucas Jackson / Reuters)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Jeremy Wilkins of the Kitty Hawk Fire Department removes a tree that was downed by Hurricane Irene on the Outer Banks in Kitty Hawk, N.C., on Aug. 28,
(Charles Dharapak / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Rising water laps over the sea wall at Battery Park in New York City on Aug. 28. Hurricane Irene bore down on a dark and quiet New York early Sunday, bringing winds and rapidly rising seawater that threatened parts of the city.
(Mary Altaffer / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

A bull dozer clears sand and debris from Hwy. 12 near Avon, N.C. on Aug. 28. High winds from hurricane Irene and overnight flooding affected much of the Outer Banks.
(Steve Early / The Virginia-Pilot via AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

The Coney Island boardwalk in New York is obscured by sand and rain as Hurricane Irene reached the area on Aug. 28. Rainfall overflowed sewers and seawater lapped at sidewalks at the edges of New York City from densely populated lower Manhattan to the far reaches of Queens as a weakening Irene made landfall over Coney Island.
(Craig Ruttle / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

A street signs rest in a Baltimore, Md. street, Aug. 28, after falling over during Hurricane Irene. The storm caused some power outages but no significant damage or flooding throughout the Baltimore region.
(Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Manhattan is hit by Hurricane Irene on Sunday, Aug. 28. The hurricane hit New York City’s skyscrapers with fierce winds and threatened to flood the financial district after killing ten people along the East coast on Saturday.
(Emmanuel Dunand / AFP - Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

IKONOS satellite images show before, Dec. 27, 2010, and after, Aug. 28, 2011, views of an area north of Rodanthe, North Carolina following Hurricane Irene. The after view shows broken sections of Highway 12 caused by the hurricane.
(Geoeye / Reuters)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Heavy rain falls in Battery Park in New York City as Hurricane Irene hits Manhattan on Aug. 28. Battery Park and other areas in Lower Manhattan were evacuated in advance of the storm.
(Jason Decrow / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

People walk in Times Square in New York on Aug. 28, as Hurricane Irene hits the city and Tri State area with rain and high winds.
(Timothy A. Clary / AFP - Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Waves crash onto a road as Hurricane Irene arrives, Aug. 28, in Southampton, New York. Irene is expected to move through the area today with heavy rain and high winds.
(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Floodwater surrounds a home as Hurricane Irene arrives on Aug. 28 in Southampton, New York. Irene is expected to move through the area today with heavy rain and high winds.
(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Branches litter an alley in Virginia Beach, VA on Sunday, Aug. 28. The hurricane made landfall in North Carolina and Virginia early Saturday morning and has now moved further up the East coast to New Jersey and New York later today.
(Brendan Hoffman / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

A man walks past a damaged store front on a boardwalk in Ocean City, Md., on Aug. 28. Authorities in Ocean City said that there were no reports of major damage.
(Patrick Semansky / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

The sun rises over the Atlantic Ocean in Virginia Beach, Va. on Aug. 28. Hurricane Irene made landfall in North Carolina and Virginia early Saturday morning and has now moved further up the East coast.
(Brendan Hoffman / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Large waves from Hurricane Irene pound the Ocean City pier on Aug. 28 in Ocean City, Md. During the night Hurricane Irene past by the small resort town causing power outages, minimal flood and wind damage.
(Mark Wilson / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Jackie Sparnackel has to abandon her van and her belongings after she ventured to check out the storm-damaged pier in Frisco, N.C., on Aug. 27.
(Chuck Liddy / The News & Observer via AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Firefighters work to remove the body of an 11-year-old killed when a tree fell and severely damaged this home in Newport News, Va., on Aug. 27.
(Rob Ostermaier / Newport News Daily Press / MCT via Zuma Press)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Jarod Wilton looks at the floodwaters rising to his doorstep on Aug. 27, in Alliance, N.C., as Hurricane Irene hits the coast.
(Chuck Burton / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Kelly Harvey, who evacuated her St. Leonard, Md., home, plays with her daughter on Aug. 27 at a hurricane shelter set up at Southern Middle School in Lusby, Md.
(Steve Ruark / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Two men push a cart through an otherwise deserted Grand Central Terminal in New York on Aug. 27. Metro North has suspended service and Amtrak is running on a reduced schedule due to Hurricane Irene.
(Marjorie Anders / NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority via AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

The victim of a fatal car accident near Interstate 795 in Goldsboro, N.C., is recovered by crews on Aug. 27. The two-car accident occurred at an intersection where traffic signals were not working due to a power outage caused by Irene.
(Robert Willett / The News & Observer via AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

People shield themselves from blowing sand and rain as they look over the beach during Hurricane Irene on Aug. 27 in Kill Devil Hills, N.C.
(Scott Olson / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Cody Levy, left, Ian Crossman, and Christian Van Vliet run out onto a receded Albemarle Sound in Kill Devil Hills, N.C., on Aug. 27. The sound had moved out due to the high winds of Hurricane Irene.
(Shawn Rocco / Zuma Press)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Turnstiles are barricaded with caution tape shortly before the New York City Subway system suspended service for the first time ever, as preparations are made for Hurricane Irene, in New York, on Aug. 27.
(Mike Groll / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

A worker places plywood on the windows of a home as he and other workers secure it against the winds of Hurricane Irene on Aug. 27, in Water Mill, N.Y.
(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

One of two people rescued from a sailboat uses a line to make their way onto the beach on Willoughby Spit in Norfolk, Va., on Aug. 27. The two were rescued from the boat that foundered in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. A rescuer, left, waits for s second person to exit the boat.
(Bill Tiernan / The Virginian-Pilot via AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Police walk through an area which is under mandatory evacuation orders in the Rockaways, N.Y., on Aug. 27, in preparation for Hurricane Irene.
(Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Arseni Flax, center, and his mother Nelly wait for their subway train to leave as they bring along their parakeets while evacuating the Coney Island section of New York, on Aug. 27.
(Craig Ruttle / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

The sun breaks through as surfers hit the ocean on Aug. 27, off of Pawleys Island, S.C. after Hurricane Irene moved through the area and north along the eastern Atlantic coast.
(Steve Jessmore / The Sun-News via AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Water in a parking lot enters a storm drain as winds and high tides from approaching Hurricane Irene start to hit the area, on Aug. 27, in Ocean City, Md.
(Mark Wilson / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Debbie Austin gets off her boat as winds and high tides from approaching Hurricane Irene start to hit the area, on Aug. 27, in Ocean City, Md.
(Mark Wilson / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Roman Alvarez, left, and Bob Alvarez use plywood to secure a business against the winds of Hurricane Irene on Aug. 27, in Southhampton, N.Y.
(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Pawleys Island police closed the North Causeway to Pawleys Island as the marshes filled with water at high tide, forming white caps and began crossing the road on Aug. 26 in Pawleys Island, S.C.
(Steve Jessmore / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Milk refrigerators sit almost empty at a Target store as New Yorkers stock up on supplies in preparation for Hurricane Irene in Queens, New York on Aug. 26.
(Andrew Gombert / EPA)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Traffic backs up at The Washout at Folly Beach as people come out to watch the waves created by Hurricane Irene and cheer on the few surfers that came out on Aug. 26 in Folly Beach, S.C.
(Sarah Bates / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Cars pack the westbound lanes of the Atlantic City Expressway on Aug. 26, as thousands of people evacuate the barrier islands along the southern New Jersey coastline ahead of Hurricane Irene.
(Tom Mihalek / Reuters)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

An 83-year-old gets help finding a taxi in New York City on Aug. 26 after she and some 400 others were discharged or moved from a hospital in a low-lying area due to Irene.
(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

A shopper passes by empty shelves while looking for bottled water at a store at Rockaway Beach in New York on Aug. 26.
(Allison Joyce / Reuters)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Ambulances wait to transfer patients out of Coney Island Hospital as evacuations began in low-lying parts of New York on Aug. 26.
(Timothy A. Clary / AFP - Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Customers stand in line outside a Home Depot in Springfield, N.J., on Aug. 26. More than 50 people put their names on a wait list for a rumored shipment of generators.
(John Makely / msnbc.com)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

A lifeguard stand is removed along a beach in Atlantic City, N.J., on Aug. 25, ahead of Hurricane Irene.
(Danny Drake / The Press of Atlantic City via AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

A message is left for Hurricane Irene on one house, as a resident boards up another on Aug. 25 in Nags Head, N.C.
(Charles Dharapak / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Ismael Ramirez, right, fastens a plywood board to a house an Ortley Beach, N.J., while his brother Jorge Ramirez measures the next board. The handymen are boarding up the house for a New Jersey Shore resident in preparation for Hurricane Irene on Aug. 25. Gov. Chris Christie asked New Jersey shore visitors to get out by midday Friday because the hurricane is poised to be a "serious, significant event" with possible flooding across the entire state.
(Julio Cortez / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Workers at Alligator River Growers harvest corn in Engelhard, N.C., on Aug. 25, in advance of Hurricane Irene as it threatens to make landfall in North Carolina. The storm's winds and torrential rains could mean devastating losses for those who grow corn, cotton, soybeans, tobacco and timber.
(Gerry Broome / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Shoppers stock up on water from rapidly emptying shelves at a grocery store in Far Rockaway in New York on Aug. 25. Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged New York City residents living in low-lying areas to line up a place to stay on high ground ahead of a possible evacuation this weekend.
(Seth Wenig / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Winds from Hurricane Irene whip through Nassau, Bahamas, on Aug. 25. The center of the storm stayed offshore but still downed trees and caused power outages.
(Lynne Sladkybahma / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Heeding the mandatory visitor evacuation, the Wyn family of Cleona, Pa., pack up at their rented beach house in Nags Head, N.C., on Aug. 25.
(Charles Dharapak / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Tugboats help Navy guided missile destroyers, the Jason Dunham, left, and the the Winston Churchill, leave the Norfolk Naval Station on Aug. 25. as Hurricane Irene approaches. The U.S. Navy ordered more than 60 ships out to safer waters so they could better weather the storm.
(Bill Tiernan / The Virginian Pilot via AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Residents of San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, on Aug. 24 look at damage left by Irene along the Nigua River. At least three people were killed and more than 37.000 people were evacuated in the country due to the heavy rains caused by the hurricane earlier in the week.
(Orlando Barría / EPA)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation